Saturday, October 18, 2008

Vivien and The Shadows: Ong Keng Sen/Theatreworks World Premiere

Vivien and The Shadows: Ong Keng Sen/ Theatreworks (World Premiere)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 7:30pm
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Memorial Hall

A soul-stimulating, post-modern spectacle, Vivien and The Shadows melds film/performance, race, gender and sexuality. Internationally lauded Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen gathers some of the best talents in global performing arts and transports us into the fantasy world of Vivien Leigh’s Blanche DuBois, inspired by the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire.

With new texts by acclaimed Asian-American playwright Chay Yew; soundscapes by pioneering London electronica artist Kaffe Matthews; sizzling videos by CalArts media artist Brian Gothong Tan; and three virtuoso performers who witness, impersonate and accompany Vivien Leigh-Blanche DuBois to her transcendence: multiple Obie-winner Karen Kandel, art-burlesque star of the New York underground Julie Atlas Muz, and the charismatic Charlotte Engelkes from Sweden.

Vivien and The Shadows is commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts.

"Ong Keng Sen is one of Singapore's...cultural jewels."
- The Guardian, UK